Briefing: Improving management of people in construction

Abstract

Despite its promised benefits, the task of managing people on construction projects is often fraught with difficulties. A research project was undertaken to investigate employee empowerment, teamwork, leadership and how they interact within the project environment and supply chain context with the aim of enhancing construction project and organisational performance through the adoption of appropriate strategies. The empirical work involved interviews, case studies and a questionnaire survey to understand current practices and to inform the development of tools and guidance which should help to improve both individual and team performance. These can be used in an integrated manner for identifying and learning about problems, and for informing corrective actions to achieve continuous improvement.